Blog Posts

I have two boys, Liam (age 8, deafblind, braille reader) and Finn (age 5, typical vision and hearing). I recently signed up for a program that gives children who are blind a chance to experience creating art using different accessible media (thank you...

Maria is a second grader who currently uses braille for most of her learning, but supplements the materials with audiotapes. She was quite successful in first grade and was often complimented on her amazing memory. Maria could often quote stories...

When my braille room followed my 5th grade student to a new area of the building, she quickly noted that there was a bulletin board hanging in our new classroom. As we chatted, she shared that she had never had bulletin boards that she could "see"...

I’ve been helping kids tell their imaginative stories for almost twenty years. I once believed the myth that kids who have autism, and sometimes kids who have visual impairment or deafblindness, are not creative—that they are rigid and...

In 2011, I was a poster presenter at the Getting in Touch with Literacy conference held in Louisville, Kentucky. I presented on creating tactile memory for understanding. My information came from a lesson I had used in class for reading comprehension of...

I’m a TVI in NSW, Australia, and started working with a girl named Sarah halfway through her first year of Kindergarten. She is in a regular class with a class teacher and a wonderful teacher aid, Leanne Prior, who has been working with her since she...

My son Liam (age 8, deafblind, braille reader) has always loved to help me in the kitchen. When he was younger I started out with small things, like putting dishes away from the dishwasher that were at his level or I would let him put his fish sticks in the...

I am a mother of two sweet boys. My oldest, Liam, is 6 years old. He is deafblind. My youngest, Finn, is 3 years old. He has typical vision and hearing. I really look forward to the Christmas season. I enjoy finding...

Cardboard is my friend.
Thank goodness for Amazon, UPS and FedEx. I look forward to a delivery because I use the boxes to create books and activities for my students with visual impairments.
I like things that don't cost much that I can send home...

I am the mother of a sweet and busy third grade boy named Liam. He is deafblind and a braille reader. I have been wanting to create a book for awhile now where the objective was to focus on the conventions of a nonfiction book. I wanted the conventions to...

The holidays present a challenge each year to families and friends who wish to give presents to children who are blind or visually impaired, especially if they are very young or have deafblindness or multiple disabilities. You want it to be FUN and...

It's that time of year again, and what a perfect opportunity to share the gift of literacy with children who are blind or visually impaired! We often get questions about ideas for holiday giving and we're happy to share some of our favorite...

Recently I had yet another conversation with a distraught parent from another state, who was upset that her child who has cortical visual impairment (CVI) was not being included in the story/circle time at preschool. “He doesn’t need to see the...

Think back on your own childhood and time with family and friends and you’re likely to remember a game you enjoyed playing whether it was a board game, word game, or sporting activity. Games can help your child develop skills such as:...

With the help of TVI Matt Tietjen*, we have compiled a list of considerations when writing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a student who has cortical visual impairment (CVI). IEPs look different from state to state, but contain the same...

My son Liam (8 years old, deafblind) doesn't watch TV. Because of this, he isn't always aware of movies and their characters that are popular among his peers. He does know a few super heroes because we happen to have the toys around the house...

I was recently asked to add a challenging student to my caseload. What started out as one of the most difficult teaching situations of my career, turned out to be one of the most fun and rewarding I have ever had. While every student has unique needs...

Write accurate information
It is critical that when you are writing about the student’s medical condition(s) that you are accurate and reliable. Refrain from copying from last year’s report or IEP. Errors could be in the previous...